Castillo de San Marcos Webcam – Watch St. Augustine’s Fort

The Castillo de San Marcos Webcam looks across the oldest masonry fort in the continental United States from the rooftop of the St. Augustine Pirate and Treasure Museum. The camera faces east over the fort’s south side. A corner bastion with a stone sentry box fills the left of the frame, a timber bridge crosses the moat in the middle, and the low ravelin that shields the only entrance sits to the right. Past the gray coquina walls, Matanzas Bay stretches toward the far shore, and a white flag with a red cross flies over the gun deck. By day, visitors follow the paved path across the lawn toward the gate and walk the upper walls beside the cannons.

About Castillo de San Marcos

Spain began building the fort on October 2, 1672, and completed its core in 1695. By then St. Augustine was already more than a century old: Pedro Menendez de Aviles founded the town on September 8, 1565. The walls are coquina, a soft limestone of compacted shells, cut at the King’s Quarry on Anastasia Island and ferried across the same bay that fills the right of the frame. The plan is a star fort with four corner bastions, San Pedro, San Agustin, San Carlos and San Pablo, and a rebuild in the late 1730s raised the outer walls from 7.9 meters (26 feet) to 10 meters (33 feet).

British colonial forces tested the fort twice. In November 1702, Carolina Governor James Moore laid siege for about two months, until a Spanish fleet from Havana arrived and ended it. In 1740, Georgia Governor James Oglethorpe bombarded the walls for 27 days and then withdrew. After Florida passed to the United States in 1821, the Americans called it Fort Marion, and Congress restored the Spanish name only in 1942. It became a national monument on October 15, 1924, and the National Park Service took over its care in 1933.

A moat runs around the walls, and the ravelin stands inside it as an outer wedge of stone in front of the sally port, the fort’s single gate. The bridge in the center of the frame carries visitors across the moat from the ravelin to that gate. The flag above the walls is the Cross of Burgundy, a red ragged X on a white field, which Spanish ships and fortresses flew during the colonial period.

Weather and Climate at Castillo de San Marcos

Winters on Matanzas Bay are mild. At the St. Augustine Light weather station, January averages highs of 19.7°C (67°F) and lows of 8.8°C (48°F), and April reaches 26.6°C (80°F). Facing east, the camera looks into the light at sunrise, when the walls stand in silhouette against the sky over the bay. By afternoon the sun is behind the camera, and the coquina shows its full gray and tan texture, with the vines on the bastion and the marsh grass under the bridge picked out clearly.

Summers are hot, with July highs of 32.8°C (91°F) and lows of 23.2°C (74°F). August and September are the wettest months, at 182 mm (7.2 inches) of rain each, out of 1,286 mm (50.6 inches) a year, and the Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30. When thunder and lightning move in, the park closes the fort’s upper level while the rooms below stay open, so the gun deck on camera can empty quickly. October cools to highs of 27.7°C (82°F) and lows of 19.2°C (67°F).

Things to Do Near Castillo de San Marcos

The fort itself is the first stop: the sally port on camera is the way in, and the gun deck along the top of the walls looks straight out over the bay. St. George Street, a pedestrian street through the historic district with more than 30 historic houses and attractions, begins a short walk west of the fort. Farther south, Flagler College occupies Henry Flagler’s Ponce de Leon Hotel of 1887, one of the first electrified buildings in the country, and the Lightner Museum fills his Hotel Alcazar from the same year. The Cathedral Basilica of St. Augustine stands on the plaza nearby.

Across the Bridge of Lions, Anastasia Island holds the St. Augustine Lighthouse and Maritime Museum, with its black and white striped tower of 1874, and the St. Augustine Alligator Farm Zoological Park. Anastasia State Park has beach and dunes on the ocean side of the island. Fort Matanzas National Monument, a second Spanish coquina fort in the care of the National Park Service, guards Matanzas Inlet south of the city.

Similar Webcams You Might Like

More cameras around St. Augustine and at other historic strongholds:

• St. Augustine Lighthouse Webcam
• St. Augustine Alligator Farm Webcam
• Bran Castle Webcam

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Castillo de San Marcos located?

The fort stands on the western shore of Matanzas Bay in downtown St. Augustine, in St. Johns County on Florida’s northeast Atlantic coast. Anastasia Island lies across the bay to the east.

What can you see on the Castillo de San Marcos Webcam?

The camera looks east across the fort’s south side: a bastion with its sentry box, the moat and bridge, the ravelin, the lawn and path, and Matanzas Bay beyond. The Cross of Burgundy flies above the walls, and the stream runs 24 hours a day.

Does the Castillo de San Marcos Webcam show the Bridge of Lions, St. George Street or the beach?

No. The Bridge of Lions crosses the bay south of the fort and stays out of frame, St. George Street is behind the camera to the west, and the beaches on Anastasia Island and at Vilano are out of sight. The same operator, See St. Augustine, runs separate live cameras on the Bridge of Lions and the St. Augustine Lighthouse.

What is the weather like at Castillo de San Marcos?

Mild in winter and hot in summer: January highs average 19.7°C (67°F) and July highs 32.8°C (91°F). August and September bring the most rain, and thunderstorms close the fort’s upper level while they last.

When was Castillo de San Marcos built?

Construction began on October 2, 1672, and the core of the fort was finished in 1695. It is the oldest masonry fort in the continental United States.

Is Castillo de San Marcos free to visit?

Watching the webcam is free, but entering the fort is not. The National Park Service charges adults 16 and over $15, and the ticket is valid for 7 consecutive days. Children 15 and under get in free with an adult, and a $45 annual pass covers the holder and three more adults.

What flag flies over Castillo de San Marcos?

The Cross of Burgundy, a red ragged saltire on a white field. Spanish ships and fortresses flew it during the colonial period, and Spain moved its naval ensign to a red and gold striped flag in 1785.

Source: See St. Augustine